The Tigers finally topped their Route 1 rival 71-55 in a convincing wire-to-wire win at Jadwin Gymnasium. After a 10-0 run put Princeton up 21-7 midway through the first half, the Scarlet Knights never were able to mount a serious challenge.

“All night, we just had more energy than them,” Princeton coach Courtney Banghart said after the game.

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Princeton’s ability to close out the Scarlet Knights stood in stark contrast to their loss at UCLA just four days earlier. The Tigers jumped out to an 8-0 lead over the Bruins, but couldn’t hold on.

“If we played (Rutgers) 10 days ago, we would have lost by 20,” Banghart said. “We just talked about how it’s a marathon, and how we have to keep getting better.”

Rutgers, on the other hand, was simply never able to gain any sort of momentum.

“I think we were shocked,” Scarlet Knights coach C. Vivian Stringer said. “By the time we woke up, it was bit late.”

Princeton was particularly impressive on the offensive end, getting big contributions all up and down it’s roster. Junior Kristen Helmstetter—starting in place of the injured Nicole Hung—had 14 points and 6 rebounds, while reserve forward Alex Wheatley led all scorers with 17.

“Coach told us to keep them off the boards, to rebound and attack the basket,” Wheatley said. “That’s what I tried to do.”

The win was especially sweet for Helmstetter, one of three New Jersey natives on the Princeton squad.

“It feels good,” said Helmstetter, who hails from Bridgewater. “I’ve grown up watching them, so it’s great to get the win.”

Rutgers had some occasional success with its vaunted full-court press, but by in large Princeton was able to maintain its composure and pass out of it. The Scarlet Knights weren’t able to stay in the press for any extended length of time.

“We attacked their pressure rather then just breaking it,” Banghart said.

That was in large part due to the play of senior point guard Lauren Polansky, who may have been the most valuable player on the court despite scoring just a single point. Polanksy hounded the Scarlet Knights’ guards on the defensive end and orchestrated the entire Princeton offense. She also finished with nine rebounds and seven assists.

“They have great pressure and they are great at trapping,” Helmstetter said. “We worked on it in practice, and (Polansky) did an amazing job staying calm. She kept us together.”

At the very end of the game, the Scarlet Knights were able to make things a little interesting, cutting the Princeton lead to 12 with 1:14 left in the game. Banghart, however, said she never felt like the game was in any danger.

“It just felt like it was a painful ending,” she said. “Against our defense, I didn’t think Rutgers could put up enough points to take it over. When I told them they could take something off the gas, they stopped the whole engine.”

Senior Niveen Rasheed had a relatively quiet night, but still finished with 14 points.

Before the game, Princeton unveiled banners commemorating their Ivy League championship and NCAA tournament appearance from a year ago, giving the win an added dose of significance.

Princeton will try to build on the win at 2 p.m. Sunday when it hosts UMBC, while Rutgers will try to bounce back on the same day with a 1 p.m. tilt at Boston College.